First Annual Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation Award Recognizes Five Lex Mundi Member Firms for Outstanding Pro Bono Contributions
Award Recognizes Lex Mundi Member Law Firms for Providing Critical Pro Bono Legal Services, Helping to Strengthen the Global Social Entrepreneurship Movement
Washington, DC (Vocus) October 15, 2010
The first annual Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation Award was presented during the Lex Mundi 2010 Annual and North America Regional Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. This award recognizes those Lex Mundi member law firms that have provided critical pro bono legal services – helping to strengthen the global social entrepreneurship movement and improve the lives of the world’s poor and disenfranchised.
The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation (Foundation) was proud to honor this year’s Award recipients:
North America – Day Pitney LLP, Lex Mundi member firm for New Jersey, USA; Latin America / Caribbean – Estudio Olaechea, Lex Mundi member firm for Peru; Europe / Middle East – Houthoff Buruma, Lex Mundi member firm for the Netherlands; Asia / Pacific – Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co., Lex Mundi member firm for India; and Africa – Bowman Gilfillan, Lex Mundi member firm for South Africa.
“The Foundation is pleased to institute this new award as a way to recognize the incredible contribution Lex Mundi member firms are making around the world,” commented Chloe Holderness, Managing Director of the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation. “This year’s five award recipients serve as examples of the impact lawyers can have on their communities as well as on strengthening the pro bono culture.”
Examples of the diverse pro bono projects in which these firms have engaged include organizations such as:
Grassroot Soccer, an organization that taps into the power, popularity, and the universal language of soccer to reduce HIV transmission among youth in Africa; Ciudad Saludable (Healthy Cities), an organization that addresses the environmental and social impacts of garbage dumping in low-income communities, generating sustainable livelihoods for thousands of “micro-entrepreneurs” and improving the health and quality of life for over 5.6 million low-income residents; and Video Volunteers, a media organization that trains and establishes local “reporters” to create and disseminate local language news to marginalized communities, empowering them with important information about local initiatives and giving them a voice in the global decisions that affect their lives.
This year’s award recipients assisted these and other organizations with a range of pro bono legal services, including negotiating new investment agreements, assisting with filing and registration requirements, and advising how to legally incorporate and expand social enterprises. The member firms’ pro bono commitments have enabled these organizations and many others to deepen their impact and improve communities and lives around the world.
About the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation
The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms. Utilizing the talents and resources of Lex Mundi’s powerful global network of 160 top-tier commercial law firms around the world, the Foundation matches experienced lawyers who provide first-class legal services to social entrepreneurs and enterprises on a pro bono basis, enabling them to carry out their missions of positive social change and to improve lives and communities. The Foundation has recently launched LawForChange, an innovative online legal resource designed to support and strengthen the U. S. social sector. For more information, please visit http://www. lexmundiprobono. org/ and http://www. lawforchange. org/.
About Lex Mundi
Lex Mundi is the world’s leading association of independent law firms. The association has more than 160 member firms around the world, representing approximately 21,000 lawyers. Membership in Lex Mundi provides member firms with a trusted network of law firms that share similar values and a similar focus on quality through which they can access global legal resources that enable them to serve their clients better and to improve continuously all aspects of their firms. Member law firms are located throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. For more information, please visit http://www. lexmundi. com.
For a printable version of this press release, please visit http://www. lexmundi. com/images/lexmundi/PDF/PressReleases/2010_LMPBF_Award. pdf.
Contact Information:
Chloe Holderness
1.202.429.1630
Carl Anduri
1.925.962.0115
Kathleen Pope-Sance
1.713.328.4521
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